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2020 COVID-19 in Uruguay Educational Disruption and Response
2020
COVID-19 in UruguayEducational Disruption and Response
About Plan CeibalNational Uruguayan ICT plan created in2007 to support education and promoteinclusion and equal opportunities.
Provides:• a personal computer to every student attending,
state schools (primary and lower secondary),• internet access at all schools,• a comprehensive set of educational resources,
and pedagogical services and programmes.
Total of students in Uruguay: 817.61784.9% attend state schools.
Source: ANEP, 2018
Computers and Internet Access in Uruguay
Percentage of Household Computer Access by Age and Quintile
Sources: EUTIC 2019, Agesic , 2020; Dpto. Monitoreo y Evaluación, Plan Ceibal based on ECH-INE 2018.
Columns show 2018 percentages
2007 figures are shown in darker
shades in each column
Age
• Household Access to Internet: 88% (93% homes of children younger than 14),• Internet Users: 87% (99% access from home),• Household Access to Computers: 76,6 %,• Plan Ceibal’s computers are the only PC available in 45% of low-income
houses (quintile 1).
Disruption & Mitigation Plan• The first cases of COVID-19 in Uruguay were
officially confirmed 13/03/20.• Schools of all levels from state and private
education were closed.• Classes are expected to resume 13/04/20.• Plan Ceibal launched a contingency plan to
mitigate the educational disruption:
Main services:• Digital Learning Platforms and Resources, • Advice and Support, • Communication Campaigns,• Multi-actor Approach:
Teachers, Students and Families.
Ceibal en casa
TeachersDigital teaching resources and supportMain services:
Virtual Learning Environments: full learning management system and social networking functionalities, with more than 7.000 preloaded educational resources.
Math Platforms: adaptive and gamification learning systems.
National Digital Library: including 7.000 books and multimedia resources.
Training and Support: tutorials, consultation services, exchange forums, virtual training and guidelines for remote teaching.
FamiliesContent Provision, Advice andCommunication Campaigns
Main services:
Content and Guidance: content provision and adviceon how to support pedagogical continuity from home.
Multiplatform Approach: delivery by media, socialnetworks, and the plan’s sites.
Socio-emotional Support: orientation in managingstress caused by the crisis context.
StudentsDigital teaching resources and support
Main services:
Virtual Learning Environments: full learning managementsystem and social networking functionalities, withpreloaded educational resources.
Math Platforms: adaptive and gamification learning systems.
National Digital Library: including 7.000 books and multimedia resources.
Training and Support: tutorials, consultation services, virtual training and guidelines for remote teaching.
Special ActivitiesRaising social awareness of the sanitaryemergency with an educational perspective.Collaborating in emerging initiatives toprocure contingency medical resources.
Including:COVID-19 & Computational Thinking: Digital dynamicsimulations of the virus spread produced withprogramming software accessible to primary andsecondary students.
Ventilators Fabrication: Ceibal is contributing with 3Dprinters to facilitate the production of ventilators, which isbeing organized through a call for tenders in collaborationamong different Uruguayan governmental areas.
Use of Educational PlatformsSince the classes were suspended,the use of all educational platformshave increased exponentially.
CREA (Ceibal’s main platform)
• Users: in 2020 -in less than 3 months-, unique users increased 374% compared to 2019*.
• Access: users access on 20/03/2020 increased 1010% compared to the same date in 2019.
• Outreach in state primary education in 2020:56.9% students and 88.5% teachers**
CREA: Inter-annual Variation of Unique Users*
*Based on unique users registered until 23/03/2020.¨Figures show the percentage of users that accessed CREA in 2020 until 23/03/2020.
Source: Plan Ceibal and Fundación Ceibal internal reports, 2020.
CREA: Weekly Access by Role
First Week of School Closures
TeachersStudents
Monday to Friday
Source: Plan Ceibal internal reports, 2020.
2019 2020
Source: Plan Ceibal internal reports, 2020.
CREA: Daily Access (2019 – 2020)
Research and International Collaboration
• Fundación Ceibal, an independent researchcentre created by Plan ceibal, is analysing thecurrent situation with a national and regionalperspective and promoting collaborationbetween countries across Latin America.
• Efforts are concentrated in data collection,analysis and collation, including virtualmeetings with policy-makers, think tanks andother relevant actors in the region.
Opportunities an Challenges in Uruguay• After the classes were suspended, Plan Ceibal immediately facilitated a robust
offer of digital resources, which showed an exponential increased in use,facilitated by the relatively high access to internet and computers in Uruguay.
• The Plan also managed to continue fundamental operational activities, such ascomputers’ deliveries to students and repairs, while most of the staff worked fromhome, thanks to the robustness of its virtual infrastructure.
• Challenges are focused on continuous monitoring and improvement of currentresources, and generating opportunities for international collaboration, whileanalysing the current situation and still uncertain possible future scenarios.
• Possible outcomes include designing a short and middle-term strategy todevelop a tailored long-distance learning protocol for systematic coverage in theevent of further pedagogical disruptions.
